Coming Darkness
by Emily
Summary: WIP When Hogwarts finds itself unable to acquire a new professor, they must dig into myth to find a suitable candidate. REVISED!
1. New Beginnings

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, even though it would be really cool if I did. But alas, that honor has not been bestowed upon me. Anyway, hope you enjoy!_

_Authors Notes: PLEASE READ! This is a rewrite of my unfinished original, as I became unhappy with both the writing and the direction of the old one. This story takes place after Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix_ _and after Season 5 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer._

_Some things found in this story will be similar to the opening of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, though the story will be very different then the HBP. I am also in the need of a beta-writer and would be most obliged to anyone who could offer to look over my stories for me. Though this opening chapter is very similar to the original, things will change rapidly in the upcoming chapters. Hope you enjoy!_

Coming Darkness

_Chapter 1 _

_New Beginnings_

Fear rose in Dawn's throat as she stared at the man – creature- before her. Her arms shook with fear, strain, and weakness. The wind blew past her, causing her hair to move in soft waves. On an ordinary day, she would savor the feel of the wind. But when you are tied to the edge of catwalk overlooking the long fall below, it could not be an ordinary day.

"Well, what do you know. It's just about that time," Doc said, staring at his watch. He smiled at her, a lethal smile. Another wave of fear passed through her as she stared at him. Suddenly, movement from behind him distracted her. A ray of hope filled her as she stared at the space behind him.

"Spike!" she called out, her eyes widening.

Doc spun around, slipping the watch back into his pocket. Spike staggered forward, his shock of blond hair in disarray. "Doesn't a fellow stay dead when you kill him?"

Doc smiled at him, not the least bit unnerved by the unexpected presence of the vampire. "Look whose talking."

"C'mon Doc. Let's you and me have a go," Spike said, desperately trying to take Doc's attention away from Dawn. _If he does anything to hurt the Bit, I swear I'll kill him. Again._

Doc stared at Spike for a moment, seemingly considering the words. His words were slow and deliberate as he glanced back at Dawn. "I do have a prior appointment."

Spike stepped forward. "This won't take long."

"No, I don't image it will."

In a move unseen by the vampire, Doc pulled a blade out of his jacket. He leapt forward so quickly that even a vampire could not fend his blows. He twisted the knife deep into the vampire. Spike screamed as the knife bit into his skin, but he pushed passed the pain. He pushed Doc off of him. Now, Spike was the one in front of Dawn.

"You don't come anywhere near the girl, Doc."

Doc studied Spike for a moment, looking genuinely puzzled. "I don't see a soul anywhere on you. Why do you even care?"

Dawn's eyes widened as she stared at Spike's back, holding onto the hope that he could save her. That he could prevent the portal from opening and allowing Hell to open. Spike stared at Doc, clutching his bleeding wound. "I made a promise to a lady."

"Oh?" Doc asked. Suddenly, his tongue shot forward, and Spike barely managed to get out of the way of the slippery thing. But as Spike was turned sideways, Doc swept his feet out from under him and knocked him to the ground. He grabbed Spike by the arms, holding him so both were facing Dawn. "Well, I'll send the lady your regrets."

"No," Spike whispered as he and Dawn looked into each other's eyes. He saw the hope fade and the despair grow as Spike stood there, incapacitated. As Spike felt Doc's weight begin to shift and the grip on Spike's arms loosened, Spike made a desperate grab, hoping to grab onto anything he could to stay on the platform.

_I will not fail Buffy. I will not let any harm come to the Bit._

Doc's eyes widened as a hand encircled his wrist with such force that he had no time to react. "Oh my," was the only thing he could get out before he was falling, plummeting towards the ground. The last thing he saw before he blacked out was the frightened face of the girl on the platform.

Dawn watched the falling duo, screaming out Spike's name as he fell. Even though a part of her knew that he would live through the fall, the rational part of her mind was no longer functioning at that moment. She watched as both hit the ground, neither moving.

Suddenly, she could hear pounding on the stairs of the metal structure. Her heart caught in her throat as someone ascended the stairs, for she could not tell who was coming for her. Yes, it could be her sister, coming to get her down from the platform. Or, it could be Glory and Spike's heroics could have been for nothing.

For what seemed like an eternity Dawn stood there, the noises getting increasingly louder. Fear grew with every passing moment as she struggled to free herself from her bonds, her eyes never leaving the dark alcove at the top of the stairs.

And suddenly, big sis was there. Fresh tears streamed down Dawn's face as Buffy ran forward, her face a mask of worry. "Buffy?"

"Dawnie," Buffy whispered as she ran over. "Dawnie, are you okay?"

For a moment, Dawn could do nothing but cry as she stared at her older sister. Buffy was there. Everything would be okay now.

Even though Buffy knew the relief that was passing through her sister, she had to know if she was okay. If anyone had cut her. "Dawnie, did anyone hurt you? Did anyone cut you?"

Dawn shook her head as Buffy undid her bonds. "Nobody hurt me. Spike got rid of Doc before he could do anything."

As soon as the last of the bonds was undone, Dawn threw her arms around her sister, tears still streaming down her face. "I was so scared, Buffy. I was so scared."

Buffy hugged her sister back, shutting her eyes tightly as tears welling up in them. _We were so close to failing her. Too close. If Spike hadn't gotten Doc away from her, it would have been too late. He would have started the ritual._

Time seemed to stop as the sisters stood at the top of the platform, embracing each other in thankfulness. All of them would live to see another day. Glory had not defeated them.

Buffy opened her eyes, a smile crossing her face as she saw the beginnings of the rising sun. "Dawn, look."

Dawn turned around, a smile forming through her tears. "We made it, didn't we Buffy? They can't do the ritual anymore, can they?"

"No, Dawn, they can't." Buffy said, giving her sister a shaky smile. "Now let's go home."

With that, the two sisters slowly made their way off the platform, knowing that they had survived the greatest of odds. They slowly walked down the stairs, not knowing what the coming days and weeks were to bring. And for the first time, they really did not care.

* * *

The white-bearded wizard sighed as he sat down at his desk, staring at the two professors in front of him. Both stared back at him, wisdom running through the depths of their eyes. For many years, time seemed to have been kind to the three, as they had been aging quite well. But after the strain of the last year, ever since the reappearance of the Dark Lord, time had caught up to them. Worry lines had appeared. Tiredness was slowly growing on them, for they knew that the fight was far from over. They did not know if the battle would ever end.

Even with the blazing fire before them, a coldness seemed to permeate the room. Shadows bounced off the walls, casting an eerie glow in the in the corners of the room. Even Fawkes, the beloved phoenix of Dumbledore, seemed to sense that something was amiss.

"Another school year is again approaching and once again, we find ourselves without a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor," Dumbledore sighed, folding his hands neatly on his desk. "In all the time I have been at Hogwarts, I have never seen such a turnover rate as we have had in the last five years. It is uncanny."

The man sitting opposite Dumbledore shifted slightly in his chair, his coal-black hair sliding over one of his eyes. "Ever since Potter came, we've had trouble. Five professors in five years have never happened before."

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled in humor for a moment before turning deathly serious. "While that is true, Severus, it is merely a matter of coincidence. And I believe the time has come for you to bury the hard feelings you have had for Harry ever since the day he arrived at this school. He is not, and never has been, the man that tortured you during your own school days. He is merely a young boy, struggling to accept that fact that he has a unique connection to Lord Voldemort. If we want to win this battle against Voldemort, we must all be united."

Severus Snape grimaced as he looked away from Dumbledore, not wanting to reveal his feelings in the matter to the Headmaster. He knew the risks a divided front posed to their coalition. Voldemort would use any division to his advantage and destroy any resistance that they had managed to build. Yet, at the same time, he would never like Harry Potter. Too much had happened for any mutual like to exist between the two. Even acceptance would be hard to achieve.

"That said," Dumbledore said quietly. "We need to find a professor."

That is not as easy as it once was, Albus," Minerva McGonagall said, her mouth set in a grim line. "After the recent misfortunes that we have had with the last five Defense Against the Dark Arts professors, nobody is that willing to fill the position. It has been almost three weeks since we have put the ad in the Daily Prophet and we have not gotten any applications. I'm afraid that it is looking rather hopeless at this point."

A silence filled the room, the crackling of the fireplace the only noise that echoed off of the walls. The portraits that lined the rooms stared down at the Dumbledore, silent as they waited for his news. Even the portrait of Phineas Nigellus was surprisingly subdued, as he was not yet recovered from the shock that the line of Black's was forever ended. Dumbledore eyed the two for a moment before sighing once again and prepared himself for the objections that he knew were too come.

"There is one person that I have had in mind," he began slowly, watching the two carefully. "I received his application just one week ago. He seems very eager to return to Hogwarts, though he did graduate fairly recently. And while he had never seemed particularly interested in teaching during his years here, his grades in Defense Against the Dark Arts were quite exceptional, unmatched by any in his year."

"Which former student are you suggesting, Albus?" McGonagall asked, looking at the Headmaster warily. "And why did you choose to tell us about your decision beforehand, instead of waiting to tell us at the same time as the other professors?"

Dumbledore straightened in his chair and looked down his crooked nose at the two professors carefully. "I felt that both of you in particular should be told privately beforehand, as the decision affects you more than it will the other professors in this school."

"I have decided to accept Oliver Wood as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor."

Silence greeted his words momentarily before Snape stood up angrily, knocking the chair he had been sitting on to the ground with a loud bang. His normally pale complexion was now a pasty white and his dark eyes were flashing angrily.

"Oliver Wood?" he rasped, voice tight as his hands clenched into fists. "You accept a mere _boy_ to take a position that is known for its difficulty? Someone who will favor Potter and the rest of the Gryffindors, while ignoring the rest of his class? You accept him over…over…"

"Over you," Dumbledore said quietly, his eyes trained on Snape. "I do realize that he is very young still, but I have very good faith in him. He has already shown that he has the patience and the ability to teach, as shown when he taught the young Mr. Potter the art of Quidditch. Yet, that is not the issue you have trouble accepting, Severus. Though you are one of the finest potion masters that have ever graced this school, you still hunger for a position that you believe will help absolve you from your actions of years ago."

Snape did not reply, instead clenching his teeth to control his anger. Slowly, ever so slowly, he picked up his chair and sat down once again, though his eyes still blazed with anger.

Dumbledore eyed him carefully for a few more moments before turning to McGonagall. He studied her, trying to gauge her reaction to his announcement. Her expression was thoughtful was she carefully weighed her feelings on the subject.

"Though I am more than a little surprised at the decision," she began slowly, "I believe that Wood is a good choice, though he does have little teaching experience. He was always eager to learn, and he did show that he had the patience to teach younger students."

Dumbledore nodded his agreement. "If that matter is settled, then, I will announce my decision at the next meeting."

He glanced at Snape once more and, seeing that he was not going to argue though his feelings on the issue were apparent, continued.

"There is another issue that I believe should be addressed."

Snape and McGonagall regarded Dumbledore curiously, surprised by his slight hesitation.

"With Voldemort's power growing by the day, it is important that our students are prepared in every way possible to defend themselves in the coming battles. Yet, even with all of our teachings, I still believe we could give them more of an opportunity to protect themselves. Unlike the last battle that was fought against Voldemort, younger witches and wizards will be involved in this battle. Harry Potter will fight against Voldemort, and his friends will not let him fight alone."

"But Albus, what else could we do?" McGonagall asked. "The classes taught here were decided on when the school first began. They have proven to give students a strong education."

Her question was answered only with silence. Dumbledore eyed her for a moment before standing up and walking over to a small bookshelf hidden away in the corner of the room. He ran his fingers over the bindings of a few books before pulling out a thick leather-bound book. He turned and placed the book on his desk.

Snape picked the book off the desk, his scowl deepening as he glanced at the title. "Slayer: Proving the Myth. You cannot possibly be suggesting…"

"But I am, Severus," Dumbledore said, calmly interrupting the potions masters. "This may be our answer to giving the students a broader education,"

"We do not even know where this "slayer" may be found," McGonagall objected as she slid the book out of Snape's hand. She opened the book to a random page, not even flinching as dust flew up into her face. "We do not even know how much of the myth about the slayer is true. Even with that said, where would such a person – "

"California. Sunnydale, to be exact."

The pained looks that cross both Snape and McGonagall's faces were so similar that it was all Dumbledore could do to keep from smiling. McGonagall closed the book slowly and placed it back on the desk. "An American, Albus? Surely you can't be serious."

"I am, Minerva," he said, his voice deathly serious. "I will not let any of my students face the power of Voldemort without ensuring that they have had the best of instruction. I have been keeping track of this Slayer, along with her friends for the last couple of years. And I believe that she, along with a very good friend, could provide our students with excellent training. The Slayer will provide the students with all of the knowledge she has gained over her five years. Her friend will provide the students with the opportunity to learn wandless magic."

Both professors looked to object but were halted as Dumbledore lifted a hand. "That is all for now. If you please, I have new professors to whom I must write."

The two nodded and walked from the room, their faces slightly troubled as they closed the door behind them, sparing a quick glance at Dumbledore. He paid no heed to them, but continued his writing. He did not even notice when the door shut quietly behind him, leaving him alone in his office. He wrote quickly but efficiently, knowing what a surprise the letter – and owl – would be to the two women. As he whistled for his owl, he wrote the addresses down, the ink drying quickly as he wrote.

_Buffy Summers _

_1630 Revello Drive_

_Sunnydale, California_

_USA_

_Willow_ _Rosenburg_

_1630 Revello Drive_

_Sunnydale, California_

_USA_


	2. Owls and Letters

_Disclaimer: Anything Harry Potter related is owned by J.K. Rowling while anything Buffy related is owned by Joss Whedon. _

_Authors Note: This is the rewrite of the original Chapter 2. Some things have been added and expanded upon, while other things have been changed and new scenes have been added. _

_Chapter 2:_

_Owls and Letters_

A light wind whispered softly through the trees, unseasonably warm, even for a summer's night in California. The well-lit streets, though usually quite empty of life, were even more deserted than usual, as most people preferred the comfort of their air-conditioned houses as opposed to the heat of the night. Yet this town, in particular, had many people who would rather stay inside at night, rather then enjoying the night air. Maybe it was the high heat of the night. Maybe the television programming was better in this town than most. Or maybe because, while the residents chose to ignore it, they could not help but be put off by the extremely high death toll for such a small little town. Such was the inconvenience of a town built directly over a Hellmouth.

Yet, as some acknowledged, the death toll had decreased in the last five years; most touted the police force for that decrease though the number of officers and hours put in had not changed. Nor had their work load. The only thing that had changed was the arrival of a young teenage girl. A teenage girl that most parents had encouraged their own children to stay away from; they did not want their little babies associating themselves with a troubled teen who had been expelled for burning down her old school's gym. But there were a select few who chose to befriend her. They soon realized how different of a town Sunnydale really was and immediately began helping her fight against the things that went bump in the night. Someone in that small, tight-knit group could usually be found prowling the streets of Sunnydale late at night. After all, even a night's rest could allow the town's undead residents to cause chaos.

Tonight, though, was different.

While most other houses were dark, as families were tucked tight into their beds and fast asleep, the house found at 1630 Revello Drive was teaming with light. Tonight, for them, was a night of relaxation and rest. Something they had had very little of in the last few months, what with a Hell-goddess on their tails. And they were determined to have one night, at least, to celebrate their latest victory.

The main kitchen light clicked on suddenly, bathing the room in light. Other than a pile of dirty dishes tossed haphazardly into the sink, the kitchen was more or less spotless. The only thing out of place was a large bowl sitting on the counter, positioned right underneath the beeping microwave. With the heels of her stylish-yet-affordable boots clicking with every step, Buffy Summers practically bounced to the beeping microwave, beaming as she pulled a steaming bag out. With barely any effort, she tore the top of the bag open and inhaled the scent of freshly popped popcorn. The smile never leaving her face, she dumped the contents of the bag into the waiting bowl and, after glancing quickly at the doorway leading to the rest of the house, snuck a handful of the popcorn. As she wiped any incriminating evidence away from her lips, she discarded the now-empty bag.

"Popcorn's ready!" she announced as she sauntered to the living room, following the cheering that had accompanied her announcement.

Though the Summer's living room was a good sized room, it seemed small with the entire self-dubbed "Scooby Gang" sprawled over various pieces of furniture. Yet, even with the slightly crammed position, nobody was going to complain. Well, maybe except Anya. Both she and Xander were half-sitting, half-laying on one side of the couch, a bandage across Anya's forehead the only sign of the battle with Glory. Dawn sat on the other side, glancing through the pile of movies on her lap. In front of the couch, Willow and Tara seemed oblivious to the others as they cuddled gently, as if making up for the time they had lost. In a chair next to the couch sat Giles, who seemed to be lost in his own world – something that had become more common since the battle with Glory. And finally, sprawled out on the floor with a mug of blood next to him, lay Spike, his leg resting on a pillow in front of him. Even with the time that had passed, all of them showed signs of fighting in a battle above all others. But tonight was a night to put all worries and anxieties away.

As Buffy entered the living room, adding yet another person to squeeze onto the furniture, the bowl of popcorn was immediately stolen out of her hands and carefully inspected, as if it was spiked with poison. Buffy glared at the teenager who had sprung up off the couch and taken the popcorn, her hands immediately going to her hips. "It's popcorn, Dawn. I think I can manage popcorn."

"You never know," Dawn said, arching an eyebrow as a devious smile crossed her face. "After all, wasn't it you who managed to burn water cause ya left it too long on the stove?"

As the room broke out in incredulous laughter at her expense, Buffy tried to hide her embarrassment, or at least counter Dawn's statement, by saying, "That so wasn't my fault! There was a demon…"

"Always blaming the demons, huh Buff?" Xander said, reaching for the bowl of popcorn. Before he could continue, though, he was, unsurprisingly, distracted by the bowl now resting in his arms. Taking a handful of popcorn out, he stuffed it in his mouth and sighed. "Mmm…buttery goodness."

"Yes, this is true. Whenever someone is in an awkward situation, they always blame the demons. Blame the one that can't defend itself, since it was slayed by you. Why does everyone always have to blame demons on things, anyway. It's just…"

Before she could continue, Giles interrupted her as she took of his glasses and began cleaning them, a familiar routine. "Yes, Anya. We understand your feelings on this particular issue. You have told us all many times."

As Anya opened her mouth to reply, Dawn moved quickly to the front of the room and waved a handful of DVDs in an attempt to get everybody's attention. "Hey, guys? Remember why we're all here? To watch a movie? Not to discuss Buffy's ability to find a demon to blame for everything she messes up on."

Buffy's glare deepened as she eyed at her sister and she grabbed the bowl of popcorn out of Xander's unsuspecting hands. "Keep it up, Dawnie. Cause just for that, you're not getting any popcorn."

"No fair!" Dawn squealed, dropping the movies on the ground as she lunged for the bowl of popcorn. Having expected this, Buffy jumped out of Dawn's path and the teenager fell in a heap on the couch. As Buffy laughed at her sister's awkward landing, Dawn took advantage of her distraction and grabbed the bowl, knocking kernels of popcorn onto Willow and Tara.

As the two battled over the bowl of popcorn, Giles reached over and picked up the fallen DVDs.

"So what movies do ya got?" Willow asked as she managed to snag popcorn out of the bowl.

"An odd assortment," Giles said, his forehead wrinkling as he read over the titles. He picked the DVD from the top of the pile and began to read them off. "Blade – "

Willow shook her head vigorously, interrupting Giles, "Nu-uh. Too bloody and gory."

"Y-yeah, we get enough of that every day," Tara added, "Why don't we watch something t-that doesn't involve vampires. I kinda want a break from the supernatural."

Willow squeezed her girlfriend's hand, a frown crossing her face momentarily as Tara snuggled closer to her. Looking at her in worry, Willow pulled Tara tighter, as if trying to make her forget the damage that Glory had done to her. "Yeah, no vampires. And 'cause I have my resolved face, what I say goes. So there."

Giles nodded as he put the DVD aside and continued reading from the pile. He winced upon reading the title and attempted to hide the movie behind his back. His actions, unfortunately, did not go unnoticed. As Buffy noticed him attempting to hide the movie, her attention was distracted from her ongoing squabble and she called out, "Hey! What's that one there?"

"Top Gun," Giles sighed after a moment of silence, as he silently debated on whether or not tell his Slayer the name of the movie. Her eyes lit up immediately at the name of the movie, the popcorn momentarily forgotten.

"Ooo, I like that one!" Buffy said. "Young Tom Cruise AND Young Val Kilmer? Nummy!"

"No!" Came the loud reply from the vampire lying on the floor. "I refuse to watch the bleeding movie with the lot of you again."

He pushed himself up into a sitting position as he pulled a carton of cigarettes out from his jacket pocket. As he placed the cigarette in his mouth, he began searching his pockets for his lighter. Taking advantage of his distraction, Dawn reached forward and pulled the cigarette out of his mouth and threw it into the glass of water on the table in front of her. "Hey, Bit!"

"No smoking in the house," Dawn reminded him nonchalantly. "Besides, it stinks."

As Dawn sat back in the couch, Spike sighed as he silently berated himself for becoming so whipped by the women of the Scooby Gang. He laid back down on the floor, preparing himself for yet another night of watching Buffy oogle over the movie actors. Even with Buffy's protests, Giles continued reading off the names, each being rejected for one reason or another. They were so wrapped up in their arguments for and against the movies that all of them failed to notice a large owl swooping in from the darkness of the night to hover outside of large living room window.

The arguing over the movies continued on and, rolling her eyes at the rest of the Scooby Gang, Dawn turned to grab the popcorn bowl next to her. As she turned, a movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention. She turned towards the window -

And found herself face to face with the unblinking yellow eyes of an owl.

Dawn jumped in surprise, spilling popcorn all over herself, Buffy, Willow, and Tara. Buffy turned to her, mouth open in indignation as she quickly wiped the buttery popcorn off of her pants. She turned to Dawn, scowling at her. "Dawn! Look at what – "

Her voice died away as she followed Dawn's incredulous gaze and she too saw the owl. And as if having an owl staring at you through a window was not strange enough, Buffy noticed what looked like a piece of paper caught in the owl's talon. One by one, noticing the sisters' sudden silence, everybody turned towards the window and they too stared at the owl in shock. Silence filled the once noisy room, as each of them tried to convince themselves that they really were seeing an owl, that was now tapping on the window, with some sort of paper attached to it.

"I think it wants to be let it," she stated matter-of-factly. Slowly, everyone turned to stare at Anya, who just shrugged at their disbelieving expressions. "What? I think it's pretty self-explanatory. When an animal starts tapping on your window in the middle of the night and has a paper attached to it, it probably wants to be let it."

"Oh," was the only sound that Buffy could muster. Turning back towards the window, Buffy slowly reached forward and opened the window, allowing just enough room for the owl to fly in, if it really wanted to enter the house. It immediately soared into the room, dropping letters onto the laps of both Buffy and Willow before landing on the back of the wooden chair. For a moment, all any of them (with the exception of Anya) could do was look back and forth from the owl to the letters, still not able to comprehend and owl wanting to deliver letters to them.

"Maybe we s-should give it something to drink," Tara stammered, breaking the silence of the room. The other turned momentarily to her, nodding blankly, before turning their attention back to the owl. Slowly, she stood up and walked to the kitchen, her eyes never leaving the owl perched comfortably on the chair. The sound of running water seemed to break the others out of their shock. Taking her eyes off of the owl, Buffy slowly opened the yellow envelope that the owl had dropped.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL

_of_ WITCHCRAFT _and_ WIZARDRY

Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE

(_Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sor., Chf. Warlock,_

_Supreme Mugwump, International Confed._ _Of Wizards)_

Dear Miss Summers,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been chosen as Co-Professor of Muggle Defense, a new class at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. You will be working with a one Willow Rosenberg, a woman whom you have known quite well. We believe your expertise in the field of defense against demons and other such creatures will prove very beneficial to the students of the school, which is why you have been chosen.

Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 1, as equipment needs to be bought and lesson plans need to be worked out. If you do accept this teaching position, a guide will be waiting for you in the Heathrow Airport on July 31 to get you settled in.

Yours sincerely,

Albus Dumbledore

Buffy stared down at the letter in disbelief, rereading it many times over, as if to convince herself of the contents. She turned sharply to Willow, to see the same look of disbelief on the redhead's face. As if feeling Buffy's eyes on her, she looked up from the letter and met the Slayer's gaze.

"Does your letter talk about a job at a school…"

"Of witches and wizards?"

At that declaration, Tara, who had just stepped back into the room with a bowl of water in her hands, froze in her tracks. Water splashed over the edges of the bowl, though she paid no attention to the now-wet carpet. For a brief moment, her eyes were trained solely on Willow. Yet as quickly as it had happened, the moment passed; Tara's gaze turned towards the owl as she walked over and placed the bowl on the table in front of it. The owl hoots its thanks as it immediately drank great gulps of water. Willow, who had turned to look at Tara when she had re-entered the room, was still staring at her lover, confusion written all over her face. Before she could voice her concerns, the rest of the inhabitants of the room, who had finally gotten over their shock, all started speaking at the same time.

"What!" screeched Dawn as she snatched the letter out of Buffy's hands, her sister still in too much shock to respond. "But you don't know anything about magic!"

"How do we even know this letter is real?" Xander demanded, craning his neck to read the letter over Willow's shoulder. "What if it's just some evil plot to get them away from the Hellmouth?"

"There's a school for magic?" Tara asked, recovering from the shock. Though she received no response, she walked slowly over to Willow and sat down next to her. Willow touched her shoulder with a questioning gaze. Tara managed to give her a small smile, though said nothing else. Their small moment went unnoticed, for the rest of the room's occupants were still busy firing off questions, not waiting for any sort of answer. The room, once again, was shocked into silence by Anya's loud declaration,

"The letter's real. Hogwarts is a very well-renowned school in Scotland, though it has produced one of the Darkest wizards in wizarding history," she said nonchalantly.

"And you decided to tell us this now?" Buffy said, the letter forgotten.

Anya shrugged. "Nobody asked."

"She raises a fair point," Xander conceded as the rest of the Scoobies nodded reluctantly. Silence once again overtook the room, until Willow raised her hand slightly, saying,

"Um…guys? About these letters?"

"Well, I suppose," Giles said, taking off his glasses and cleaning them, "that both you and Buffy should decide whether to accept this position, supposing that this place exists. This could be an incredible learning experience for the both of you. In the meantime, I shall consult my books, to search for any reference to this 'Hogwarts.' Perhaps…"

"Okay, officially over shock now," Buffy said. "A dose of Giles is all it takes to bore me out of the shock."

Ignoring his reproachful look, she turned to Willow. "How about it, Will? Wanna get out of Sunnydale for a bit? Travel the world, go shopping, teach little kids all about…well, whatever we're teaching them about?"

Willow glanced over at Tara, silently asking her for her permission. At the barest of nods, Willow turned back to Buffy. "I'm in. The chance to go to a real magic school that I didn't even know existed. Think of all the magic I could learn! Think they have a library? Cause that would be nifty."

"What about me?" Dawn interrupted suddenly, her arms crossed over her chest as she stared at her sister. "When they find out that you went to England and left me here, what do you think will happen? They might make me go live with Dad in LA. And the last thing I want to do is live in Dad's empty house as he takes his secretary on vacations to Spain."

Buffy looked at Dawn briefly before turning back to Giles. "Could we bring Dawn with us? I can't leave her here."

"We could possibly work it out somehow…" Giles started before being interrupted by Willow.

"I could do a spell, to convince people that we have normal jobs in Britain," she said, barely able to contain her excitement. "Then there won't be any question of Dawn coming with us, because she could attend a school there. And then – "

"What, are you all going to plan my life out now? Gonna make decisions for me, instead of asking me what I want to do?"

Willow looked away, averting her eyes away from Dawn's piercing gaze. With all of the attention on the teenager, nobody noticed the look of concern that Tara gave the redheaded witch, nor the slight fear in her eyes at Willow's immediate thought of using magic to solve a problem. Her thoughts were diverted, though, as Buffy reached over to her sister.

"We're not trying to plan your life, Dawnie," Buffy said softly, thinking ruefully to herself how differently she would have reacted just a few short months ago, when her sister had changed from an annoying little brat to someone she would give her life for without a hesitation. She brushed a stray hair away from her sister's face as she continued. "We're just trying to figure out what options we have."

Dawn sighed, the anger draining out of her. "I know, but you act like I'm not even in the room. I want to go to Hogwarts with you. It would be more exciting then Sunnydale. And I wouldn't have to worry about dating another vampire, at least."

Chuckling slightly before reaching in to briefly hug her, Buffy said, "We'll figure it out. I know we will."

"Not wanting to interrupt, Buff, but what about Sunnydale?" Xander asked. "I know we all help out, but we're not the Slayer. And with Willow gone too, the vampires are going to be more fearless then before."

Buffy nodded in agreement and turned her attention away from Dawn. Slowly standing up, she walked a few steps over to where Spike lie, naked emotion showing in his eyes as she slowly sat down next to him. He smiled at her, thought it was a slight, unsure smile. "Gonna go to Britain, huh luv? Be a teacher in a bloody school of magic?"

"Yes, Spike," she said quietly. "But I need you here. I need you to stay in Sunnydale, and help everyone. You know everyone here can hold their own, but you've got the strength of a vampire. I may never love you as you wish, Spike, but I trust you. I trusted you once with the life of my sister, and you were able to protect her. I will never forget that. And I trust you with the life of my friends. Please stay and help them, Spike."

As she finished her request, she looked at Spike some-what nervously, hoping he would be willing to help. Her worries were alleviated, though, as Spike nodded.

"I've got nothing else to do. Stay around here 'til I got bored, at least."

Buffy rolled her eyes at him, though she smiled brightly. "Thank you, Spike."

As they continued talking, nobody noticed (or pretended not to notice) Tara and Willow both standing up and slowly walking up the stairs to their bedroom. Not a word was spoken between the two, and a rare uncomfortable silence wormed its way between them. The only sound was the slight creaking of the stairs as they ascended. Willow snuck a glance at Tara, trying to catch a glimpse of her face so as to read what Tara was thinking. Yet Tara kept her head down, trying to hide the conflicting emotions she knew were written on her face. It was not until they had shut the door to their bedroom that Tara finally turned to look at Willow, trying but failing to put a smile on her face.

"Baby," Willow started, but her voice trailed off as Tara shook her head. After taking a few deep breaths, as if to steady herself, Tara reached over and put her hand lovingly onto Willow's cheek.

"This is an incredible opportunity, Willow," Tara said, her voice so soft that Willow had to strain to hear her. "To teach magic at a real school of magic…you can't pass on something like that. And I would never want to hold you back from something so amazing. I love you, Willow. And I want you to go."

At those words, Willow stepped closer and pulled Tara into a crushing hug, holding onto her as if Tara would disappear when she let go. For a moment, each of them took great comfort in the feel of the other in their arms, the gentle breath that tickled their throats. Tara pulled away slightly, only to lean in and kiss Willow gently on the lips. Both savored that kiss, knowing it would be one of the last either would have in a while.

"What about…us? Scotland is a long way from here. And if you stay…oh!" Willow exclaimed, her eyes lighting up as a sudden thought came to her mind. "You can come with me! I'm sure the school won't mind if you come, since you're a witch too!"

Tara slowly shook her head, a sad smile on her face as the hopeful expression on Willow's face died. "I am needed here, Willow. In Sunnydale. Mr. Giles is going to need help with you and Buffy both gone. If I go to, that's one more person that Sunnydale will have to do without. And I can't do that, Willow. I have to help any way I can. And that means staying here."

"I'll write everyday?" Willow half-said, half-asked as tears welled up in her eyes. "Twice a day. As often as I can. I lost you once, Tara. I won't lose you again."

"I know," Tara said simply, her own eyes misty as she sat down on the bed next to Willow. Neither of them said a word as they sat next to each other, tears slowly streaming down both of their cheeks. Nothing more was said between them; nothing more needed to be said that night.

* * *

The waves crashed mightily onto the jagged rock that composed the small island, spraying everything nearby with droplets of ice-cold water. A cold wind swept over the island, chilling the inhabitants of the only building down to the bone. Those chosen to the guard the many imprisoned inside the tower swept their eyes carefully over the landscape, watching for any sign of movement. Many of the imprisoned were loyal to the Dark Lord; therefore, a rescue attempt would not be completely unexpected. Unlikely, yes, but not unexpected. Especially since the Dementors were no longer under the service of the Ministry and had long abandoned their posts. Therefore, a break-out would be much more difficult with the amount of wizards and Aurors working to watch over Azkaban. 

Yet, for all of their careful planning and all of the trained wizards watching every entrance to the prison, they were not prepared for the events that were to occur. As the wizards at the main entrance of Azkaban looked on, a cloaked man appeared suddenly in front of them, causing them to start. Immediately, they pulled out their wands, but before they could utter a word, their wands flew out of their grasp at a wave of the cloaked man's hand. With another wave of his hand, the wizards froze in their spots and fell to the ground, immobilized.

"Good night, blokes," came his voice from under the cloak, surprisingly cheerful. Stooping down to the ground, he picked up one of the fallen wands from the ground and, straightening, pointed the foreign wand at the large wooden doors that composed the entrance. Waving it once, a jet of red light erupted from it and the doors exploded in a spray of wooden splinters. He tossed the wand to the wayside in disdain and walked through the now-destroyed doors, his pace steady but fast.

His heels clicked loudly in the silent hallway, the noise causing the prisoners to scurry to their locked doors. He ignored the shouts and curses that were thrown at him, rolling his eyes in at the pleads for help. Onward he continued down the darkened hallway, until at last he came to his destination. Stopping in front of a well-chained metal door, he waved his hands the chains flew off the door and the door itself opened with a loud clang that echoed up and down the hallway.

The man inside slowly got to his feet, his stained cloak and stringy hair not taking away from the air of regalness the man compelled. Having the audacity to look down his nose at his savior, he sneered as he demanded,

"Who are you?"

Throwing the hood of his cloak back, the man revealed his dark hair and long face to the imprisoned wizard. "Ethan Rayne, old chap. And you, Lucius, are needed by the Dark Lord. He is giving you one last chance to redeem yourself. Hopefully you don't screw it up this time."

Ignoring the glare that Lucius leveled at him, Ethan roughly grabbed him and as suddenly as he had appeared on the rocky island, Ethan disappeared; this time, with Lucius in tow.


	3. Entering the Wizarding World

_Disclaimer: Again, I do not own any of the characters in the story. All are owned by either Joss Whedon or J.K. Rowling._

_Authors Notes: This is, again, a rewrite of the original Chapter 3 and also, part of the original Chapter 5. From here, things are vastly different from the original yet there are many aspects that coincide with those particular chapters. _

_Entering the Wizarding World_

Buffy released a great sigh of relief as she exited the plane, wincing at her cramping muscles. She moved out of the way of the other exiting passengers, so she could reach down and massage her aching legs without holding up the line of traffic. As Willow and Dawn walked over to stand next to her, Buffy rolled her head to work out the kinks in her neck. Smiling ruefully at her traveling partners, she said, "A Slayer is not meant to be trapped in an itsy plane seat for that long. It's cruel and unusual punishment."

"People aren't meant to be trapped in a plane for that long, period," Dawn said, feeling her own legs aching after hours of sitting. "And at least you're short. For us _tall_ people, it's even worse."

"Did you miss the Slayer part?" Buffy snapped, glaring at her sister for the slight. "Not meant to be trapped in small enclosed places for extended periods? It's _so_ much worse for me."

Before Dawn could retort, Willow stepped between the two bickering sisters and held up her hands wearily. "It sucks for everyone, guys. Can we just cool it? All of us are on edge right now, 'cause that flight was just way too long, ok? Besides, we're in Britain! A brand new country! Doesn't that must make you want to go 'ooo?'"

Dawn nodded grudgingly at Willow's words, casting one last glance at her sister before smiling as she looked around the airport. "Yeah, we're in the land of Giles! And we get to go to a super cool mag….um….school."

"So how are we going to find our guides?" Buffy asked Willow, ignoring Dawn's almost slip-up. "Did it say anything in the letter?"

Willow shook her head, biting her lip nervously as she looked around. "No. So how are we supposed to recognize them? Are they going to be all dressed in robes and hats. No, that wouldn't make much sense, cause then they would be all stared at and people might think they're crazy. But then what are we supposed to do? I mean, cause they really didn't say in the letter that they sent us and – "

"Breathe, Will," Buffy interrupted, turning to her friend. "We'll figure it out. Somehow."

"So, let me get this straight," Dawn said, raising an eyebrow in disbelief as she stared the two down. "You guys accept a job offer, pack up all the luggage, bring me along for the ride, and not know how exactly we're getting to the place you're teaching?"

Buffy and Willow glanced at each other for a minute before turning back to look at Dawn, shrugging their shoulders helplessly. Dawn shook her head at the two of them. "Whatever."

"We might as well get outta here. I need to get the rest of my luggage. The last thing I want to do is lose all those great pairs of shoes," Buffy said as she started following the last of the exiting passengers. Willow and Dawn followed immediately, shaking their heads at her shoe obsession. All three of them hurried through the Heathrow Airport, Buffy leading them as if on a mission to protect her shoes from being stolen. They quickly made it to baggage claim when, having just grabbed their checked luggage, Buffy felt a light tap on her shoulder. She spun around quickly and found herself face-to-face with a girl about her age. Yet it was not the girl that caught her attention; rather, it was her shock of bright pink hair.

"Buffy Summers?" the girl asked cheerfully. Buffy looked at her warily before nodding. The girl smiled at her and stuck out her hand, "Wotcher! I'm Tonks."

"Hi…Tonks," Buffy said slowly as she shook her hand, eyes trained on the pink hair.

"We've been waiting for you for a bit," Tonks continued, completely unperturbed by Buffy's wary reaction. At the use of the world 'we', the three Americans scanned the airport crowds momentarily before noticing a shabbily dressed man walking towards them. His features had a weariness to him, as if he had shouldered a great burden for many years. Gray streaked his light brown hair, a surprising amount for a man who otherwise looked to be in his early 30s. A smile crossed his face as he saw them, a smile that seemed to light up his entire face and erase some of the weariness.

"I see you have found them, Tonks," he said to his companion as he reached a hand out for the girls to shake. "I am Remus Lupin. We were sent to intercept you at the airport, to help guide you to your meeting."

As Buffy shook Lupin's hand, her Slayer Sense starting tingling and a frown momentarily crossed her face before she replaced it with a sunny smile. He noticed her momentary frown and hastily withdrew his hand, looking at her nervously. The others noticed the strange exchange between the two, but before anyone could comment on it, Lupin turned and smiled at the others.

"We had better get going," he said, displaying none of the nervousness he had portrayed earlier. "I'm sure that Professor Dumbledore would like to talk our new professors as soon as possible."

Before anyone could comment on his abrupt end to the conversation, he had spun around and indicated for them to follow him. Buffy and Willow shrugged and started following. As they did, Buffy started as she heard Willow's voice in her head, though echoing strangely. While she had heard Spike mention Willow's blossoming ability, she had not yet experienced it.

_Is something wrong, Buffy? You seemed kinda wigged by Remus._

A slight nod of her head was the only indication that Buffy had heard the message. Willow took this as a sign that they would talk later; as for now, they followed their guides out of the airport and into a waiting vehicle. Dawn, not noticing the awkwardness between the adults, chatted on about the excitement of being in England as they placed their luggage in the trunk.

"This is soo cool," the teenager gushed as she looked at the sights around her, drinking in all the differences between London and Sunnydale. Lupin slammed the trunk closed and opened the door for the others. Dawn looked at the car in confusion, wondering how all of them would be able to fit in one vehicle. Yet, as she got into the vehicle, the interior seemed to stretch before her very eyes, becoming large enough to fit everyone in their party. Her jaw dropped in shock at the unexpected show of magic. "Omigod!"

"How does that work?" Willow asked in wonder, almost bouncing in her seat at the prospect of discovering different types of magic. Lupin smiled at her obvious interest in the subject, sensing the intelligence behind the bouncy exterior.

"It's a charm that's been put on the vehicles to allow them to expand inwardly without expanding outwardly as well; so it doesn't draw the Muggle's attention." Tonks said.

All three of the newcomers glanced at each other in confusion before turning back to their wizard guides. "Muggles?"

"Non-magic people," Lupin explained at their question. The three nodded at the explanation and a silence fell between the occupants of the magical vehicle. At the uncomfortable silence, Willow started looking around the vehicle, looking at every crevice as if trying to figure out the charm put on the car when suddenly, the suitcase on her lap shifted and a slight squeak could be heard from inside.

"Oh!" Willow exclaimed, her mouth opening with surprise. Her hand flew immediately to her mouth as she turned to Dawn and Buffy. "I forgot about the spell!"

While Lupin and Tonks stared at her in confusion, Willow placed the suitcase onto her outstretched hands and lifted it until it was at eye-level. She stared at the suitcase intensely for a moment when suddenly, in the blink of an eye, the suitcase changed from a leather red case to a wire-cage complete with a squeaking rat. Satisfied that she had done the spell correctly, Willow lowered the cage onto her lap. She smiled brightly at her completed spell, though the smile faltered as she saw the looks of astonishment on Lupin's and Tonks' faces.

"How did you do that without a wand?" Tonks asked, her eyes glued on the cage Willow had just transformed.

"Well, it took a lot of practice. I had to start out small, learning how to levitate pencils and stuff. And it was really hard at first, cause I had to really work on control," she said, her voice brimming with enthusiasm, "And ever since the battle with…"

Her voice trailed off abruptly, leaving her sentence trailing. Lupin and Tonks stared at her quizzically, as if both wondering why she had stopped talking so abruptly. Tonks opened her mouth to begin questioning her about the unfinished sentence, but was immediately cut off as Dawn leaned forward.

"Your hair is totally cool," she said bubbly, "It reminds me a lot of Oz, 'cept he never had pink hair."

"Oz!" Buffy said suddenly, her sharp eyes focusing in on Lupin. "That's who you remind me off."

Lupin cocked his head slightly at her sudden statement about him, smiling slightly as he asked. "And who is Oz? If you don't mind me asking, that is."

"My ex-boyfriend," Willow explained, also staring at Lupin, as if a light bulb had gone on suddenly in her head. "He left for Tibet over a year ago because…"

"He's a werewolf," Buffy said bluntly.

The temperature in the car dropped considerably at Buffy's matter-of-fact proclamation. Lupin's face paled at the words and for the first time, he looked at the Slayer nervously. An icy silence fell between them, which lasted a full five minutes. Tonks glared at the Slayer, frowning at the bluntness of her words.

"So what?" Tonks said indignantly, her eyes cold as she glared at Buffy. "So what if he is? What's the big deal?"

Buffy shrugged nonchalantly as she leaned back in the seat, the tension in her shoulders being released. She glanced at Lupin once before turning her head towards Tonks. "It doesn't bother me. I just don't like people keeping secrets from me. I like to know what I'm getting into, especially when it involves moving to a new country."

"Y-yeah," Willow stuttered, off-put by the tension still filling the car. "I mean, Oz was a werewolf when we dated, so we have no problem with werewolves. Good werewolves."

The last sentence was said with such force that Lupin and Tonks were surprised out of their other emotions. They looked at Willow questioningly, but she shook her head, though a slight smile crossed her lips. "I'd rather not talk about it."

"So, am I considered a good werewolf?" Lupin asked, half-serious, half-joking. Buffy and Willow exchanged glances before turning back to him.

"Well, you did save us from getting lost in a wacky new country," Buffy said, smiling at him. "So I guess you get points for that."

Before anyone could reply, the caged rat started to squeak as it ran around the cage, as if searching for an escape. Concern crossed Willow's features as she bent over the cage, watching the rat intently. For a few moments, all attention was concentrated on the rat. Willow looked up at Buffy, nervously biting her lip.

"I hope she's ok," said Willow. "What if the magic hurt her?"

"She'll be fine, Will," Buffy replied, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "We'll have the Dunder-dude look at her, and poof! she'll be better."

"Dumbledore?" Lupin asked. Buffy nodded her head, though her attention was still focused on Willow and the rat. "Is there a problem with your pet?"

The women looked up at the statement and exchanged smiles. "Actually, this is Amy. We went to school with her but she turned herself into a rat to avoid being burnt at the stake and then she couldn't change back even though I tried every spell that I knew but it obviously didn't work because she's still, well, a rat…"

"Breathe, Will," Dawn instructed, speaking up since the hair comment. "Everything will work out."

"We can try to help her while you're meeting with Professor Dumbledore," Lupin said. "We might be able to help, and even if we can't, there are many options for people in her situation."

All three Americans nodded, mostly in relief. Suddenly, the car lurched to a stop. Tonks and Lupin smiled and unbuckled their seat belts as they opened the car door. Buffy, Willow, and Dawn followed, with Willow being careful not to jostle the cage. As they exited the vehicle, all looked around in confusion, not seeing anything that looked remotely magical. Looking at their guides for answers, Tonks just motioned towards the book store and the record store in front of them.

"Welcome to the Leaky Cauldron," she announced beaming.

As the words passed through her lips, a small, shabby-looking building seemed to appear between their very eyes. The windows were dusty and it seemed as if nobody had visited for a very long time. The women glanced at their guides dubiously before shrugging and entering into the building, following Lupin and Tonks.

Inside they found a room bustling with activity, though most of the occupants of the room kept looking around nervously, as if something was going to jump out at them. And for the amount of people in the room, it was surprisingly quiet. Most people did not even have a drink in front of them, though they were seated at the many tables throughout the area. Tonks and Lupin bypassed all the tables and immediately went over to talk to the burly man behind the bar. They kept their voices down, though Buffy could hear snippets of the conversation, enough to deduct that they were going to be taken to Professor Dumbledore.

With a smile and a word of thanks, Lupin moved away from the bar and walked back over to the women. "Professor Dumbledore is already in a private parlor room to meet with you. Dawn and...Amy can stay with us while you talk about your new teaching job. The room is the first one on the right."

Buffy and Willow glanced at each other before going in the direction that Lupin had showed them. Dawn watched them walk off as she, Lupin, and Tonks. As her sister and friend disappeared into the hallway, Dawn's eyes fell upon a young man watched her intently. At first glance, he reminded her of a smaller, younger Spike. The whitish-blonde hair, coupled with a very strong cheekbone and pale skin were very reminiscent of the vampire. The only very noticeable difference was the eyes. Instead of the warm blue eyes she was used to seeing, cold gray eyes stared back at her in extreme disdain. With a deep sneer at her, he stood up and broke their eye-contact. She stared at him as he walked away before turning back to her companions, smiling brightly at them.

Meanwhile, Buffy and Willow found themselves in a densely lit hallway, rich dark wood lining the narrow hall. The farther they traveled, the less light seemed to permeate the hallway until, at last, they noticed bright light coming from a doorway on their right. Taking a deep breath, Willow walked into the open doorway, squinting slightly at the brightness of the light. She blinked her eyes a few time, in an attempt to get them to focus.

Her jaw dropped as the room came into focus. A long, dark wooden table sat in the middle of the room, an array of candles lining its length. Dripping wax fell gently onto the wood, slowly hardening as it lay. Underneath the table lay a carpet of deep red, which accented the red and gold wallpaper that lined the room. The striped paper, in which the gold stripes were smaller then the red, held an array of portraits that seemed to stare back at the women. At second glance, Willow realized that the portraits were staring at them. In fact, the expressions on the people's faces changes just as any person would and as she watched, a few of the people portrayed looked at her in disinterest, stood up, and walked out of the frame.

"Buffy!" squeaked Willow, pointing at the portraits. "They _moved!_"

Buffy raised an eyebrow in disbelief as she turned to Willow, wondering if the excitement of learning about magic schools and moving to teach at one in Great Britain had caused Willow to actually lose her mind. With an eyebrow still raised, she followed Willow's outstretched finger and looked at the paintings. Her look of disbelief dissolved into a shocked look that mirrored Willow's.

"Um, Will?" Buffy asked, not taking her eyes off the portraits as she spoke. "Was there something in the airplane food? Cause last time I checked, paintings stayed put. They didn't move and walk and hey! That one's laughing at me!"

Before she could respond, a chuckle behind them caused both to spin around in surprise, with Buffy immediately falling into a defensive position. They found themselves facing an elderly man, his hair, beard, and mustache as silvery as reflected moonlight. Half-moon spectacles sat upon a crooked nose, behind which were twinkling blue eyes as he serenely looked at his newly hired professors. Unlike the other wizards and witches that they had seen in the bar, his robes were a deep royal blue in color, complete with a matching pointed hat.

Yet, it was not the clothes he wore that captured their attention. Nor was it the twinkling blue eyes that stared at them in delight. It was the wisdom and power that seemed to flow off of him in waves. Just a mere glimpse of the man would hint at the hidden power that covered the air around him and seemed to fall on everything he touched. Both Buffy and Willow stared at him for a moment before they recovered themselves.

Buffy stuck a hand out, looking the man straight in the eye. A normal person would not cause a Slayer's eyes to widen slightly in shock, as hers did for a split second. A normal person would not phase Buffy as he just had. Obviously, this man was not a normal person.

"Buffy Summers," she said. "And you are…?"

"I am Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I am the one who sent you the letter you received a short while ago," he smiled, shaking hand with her. As their hands met, Buffy could feel a current of power running through her arm at even the mere touch of his hand.

_Note to self: Don't mess with him. Not with that power._

"And you must be Willow Rosenburg," he said, turning to Willow. Just like with Buffy, he shook her hand before turning his gaze to both of them. "And I venture that the young Miss Summers is currently sitting with Remus and Nymphadora?"

They looked at him in confusion, and he quickly amended his statement. "You would know her as Tonks."

"Oh, yeah," Buffy said nonchalantly. "Didn't realize her name was Nymph…something. Doesn't anyone have normal names around here?"

"Says the girl with the porn star name," Willow said ruefully. Even with the death glare that Buffy leveled at her, Willow didn't flinch and instead looked at her companion challenging.

Dumbledore chuckled again at their interactions, seeing how the two new professors would have an interesting effect on the wizarding world. "You will find, Miss Summers, that there are an array of names here, just as there are in your world. And in reference to the portraits, you will find that there are many things in the wizarding world that are quite unexpected."

"But how do they move?" Willow asked eagerly.

"If a wizard or witch agrees to have a portrait done before they die, they leave a small amount of their essence in the portrait. That way, a small part of their lives will live on forever, even after they die," he explained patiently.

Willow opened her mouth again, as if ready to spill forth a variety of questions, but Dumbledore put up a hand gently to halt her. "While I do enjoy a great many discussions about the workings of the wizarding world, I'm afraid that our time here is short and we have a more pressing matter to attend. If you will please sit down, we will begin our discussion."

The mood permeating the room shifted immediately from excited to almost somber. Buffy and Willow exchanged a look before slowly sitting down at the table, putting their full attention on the wizard now sitting in front of them.

"So what's the what?" Buffy asked before anyone else could talk. "Why us? I mean, magic aren't very mixy. Bad things tend to happen when magic affects me. And I've never taught before, so I'm not exactly the prime candidate."

"And sometimes some of my spells have a tendency to just go an eensy bit wrong," Willow said nervously, biting her bottom lip. "I mean, I do everything right and follow all the instructions just like I'm suppose to but sometimes the results of the spell isn't exactly what I thought it would be and it causes a lot of problems…"

Her voice trailed off as she looked at him expectantly. Despite all of the many worries he was dealing with at the moment, he could not help but, once again, letting a chuckle escape. After everything he had researched and all of the information he received, he had realized immediately that both Buffy Summers and Willow Rosenburg were very lively females. Both would make very interesting additions to the teaching staff of Hogwarts.

"Ladies," he said quietly, though loud enough to attract their attention. Both turned to him once again, quieting down immediately, as if the power he held overcame their typical lack of respect for authority. "I do realize that neither of you had heard of our world before the letter, as do I realize that you have also never been introduced to magic using a wand. If I had wanted the students to learn to utilize their wands for every occasion, then I would not have invited either of you to teach at my school."

"At this moment, the wizarding world is the most desperate of times. A dark wizard, known as Lord Voldemort, has returned to power after many years of hiding. This particular wizard has delved deeper into the darkest of arts then most, if not all, other wizards. Before he lost his power many years ago, he was feared by many in our world, though a few did stand up against him. Alas, many were lost both to him and his followers, known as Death Eaters. He seduced many to his side, through both magic and manipulation. He was slowly taking over the wizarding world until, one night, fate came into play. He went to the house of James and Lily Potter, both of whom had fought against them. He killed both of them and then attempted to kill their son, Harry, but he could not. Leaving only a scar on the forehead of the infant, Lord Voldemort disappeared without a trace. Many thought he was dead, though he was not. He hid for many years until, last year, he was able to gain his powers back."

"That is quite a…terrible story," Willow ventured. "But what does that have to do with us?"

"Ah, yes," he sighed. "You wonder why I have asked both a vampire slayer and a Wiccan to come and teach at Hogwarts?"

At the term 'vampire slayer', Buffy looked sharply at him, eyes narrowing slightly. "And how do you know what we are? Have you been spying on us? Cause, I gotta say, I'm not much of a fan."

"Miss Summers," Dumbledore began, smiling in order to put her at ease. "I have kept track of all of the slayers since I began my post as Headmaster of Hogwarts in 1955. And you, Miss Summers, turned out to be rather peculiar as a Slayer, what with going against the Council rules and keeping in touch with not only your family, but allowing your friends to fight in battle with you. Among them Miss Rosenburg, a women with a great amount of affinity to magic. With both of your skills, and with the threat of Lord Voldemort, I felt the time came to add a new class to Hogwarts, one that will give students the ability to learn defensive skills in case their wands are forcibly removed."

At the end of his explanation, there was a silence between them, as Buffy and Willow silently recounted everything he had told them. Though both were slightly overwhelmed, a glance at the other was all they needed to express their affirmation of his words.

"Both of us are grateful to accept the position," Willow started. "But we were wondering about the salary for a job like this. Both of us have bills back home to pay for, especially to pay the mortgage on Buffy's house. Both of us need to make enough combined to cover our expenses."

"I had thought you would ask about that," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling as he pulled out a small piece of parchment from inside his robes. Placing the parchment in front of them, he said, "This would be the amount that each of you will make in teaching one year at Hogwarts. I have taken the time to convert to American dollars, to help give you a better understanding of what you will be making."

Both women leaned forward to read the numbers written on the parchment and, as they did, both of their jaws dropped and Willow even gasped at shock at the amount. Buffy blinked her eyes, as if convinced she was reading it wrong. After a few tense moments, beaming smiles crossed both of their faces as they looked at each other and then back to Dumbledore.

"This is awesome!" Willow squealed in excitement, her eyes constantly dropping back to the parchment, as if it would disappear if she looked away too long. "This will be more than enough! I can start saving up for a new computer and everything!"

"I take it you will accept the position, and the responsibility of teaching our students how to best defend themselves?"

"You betcha!" Willow exclaimed, practically bouncing in her seat at both the generosity of the wizard before them and at the prospect of teaching magic at a school.

"Then I do have two more favors to ask of you," he said, his face gravely serious, the expression instantly calming both the slayer and the wiccan down. "As I have mentioned, Lord Voldemort is an extreme danger to not only this world, but to the entire world in general. And I realize that, as part of your duty Miss Summers, you must do whatever you can to protect the world. I am part of a small but brave group of witches and wizards who do whatever we can to find information and fight against both Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Knowing all the darkness that both of you have faced over the years, I ask you sincerely to consider joining this group. Your expertise and experience in fighting the dark arts would be beneficial to this group and all that it protects. Now, I understand that you will need time – "

"I'm in," Buffy said promptly, cutting him off. At his surprised look at her immediate answer, she shrugged. "Like you said, it's my job. If this Lord Voldywart is trying to take over the world, then he's overstepping his bounds. I'm not gonna let some dark wizard-guy do this on my watch. He's stepping on my turf. I don't like that too much."

"Same here," Willow followed.

Nodding in delight at their acceptance he leaned forward, eyes twinkling once again. "Now, as the day grows short, I do have one more favor to ask of you."


	4. First Encounters

_Disclaimer: I still do not own any of the characters. So there._

_Authors Note: I apologize for waiting so long to get this chapter out. I recently got a new job and my hours have been pretty crazy. So now that I'm finally adjusting, I'm able to have extra time again to work on fics._

First Encounters

Books were strewn around the room, as if haphazordously tossed to the side in a fit of frustration. Clothes had been tossed across all available furniture. School supplies lie here and there, obviously having been pushed aside after hours of doing work. An empty cage, the bottom covered in newspaper, stood in a corner of the room, the door wide open as if awaiting for the beast to return.

The bedroom door creaked slowly open as a tall teenage boy, hair in disarray, trudged into the room, clenching his fists in an attempt to control his raging temper. Pushing the glasses that had been slowly sliding down his nose back to their proper place he slammed the door behind him and plopped unceremoniously onto the bed, rolling his eyes as it creaked beneath him. _I can't wait until I can leave this house, even though I know why I'm here. I hate them._

Taking a breath to control himself after a day of listening to veiled insults by his uncle, he looked out the window towards the darkening sky. Noticing a white shape moving towards his window, a grin crossed his face as she sat up, awaiting the arrival of the owl.

As the owl swooped into the window, Harry Potter stuck his arm for the owl to land. "Good hunting tonight, Hedwig?"

Hooting cheerfully, Hedwig nibbled on his finger affectionately before flying off to land on the footboard of the bed. As Harry moved to lay back down, he noticed a copy of "The Daily Prophet" sitting on his nightstand. Frowning slightly as he grabbed it, _I must have missed this being delivered, _he quickly scanned the cover, hoping to find any news about Voldemort or Death Eaters being captured. Noticing the headline, his eyes bulged out in shock at the title and quickly scanned the entirely of the article.

**KNOWN DEATH EATER ESCAPES FROM AZKABAN**

Late yesterday evening, Lucius Malfoy, a Death Eater who was

captured during the attack on the Ministry of Magic, escaped

from Azkaban Prison with the aid of a yet unknown accomplice.

Though information of the details of the escape are not yet

released, our sources confirm that the accomplice carried no wand

with him, yet was still able to overtake the Ministry Officials

currently guarding the prison. Ever since the Dementors

abandoned their post in favor of serving He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Name,

trained officials have been guarding over the prison.

Malfoy, who is currently serving a life term after…

Pulling his attention away from the rest of the article, Harry slumped against pillow, gritting his teeth angrily at the incompetence of the Ministry. Crumpling the newspaper up and tossing it in frustration up against the wall. Trying to push back his anger, he jumped in alarm as a letter – along with a single phoenix feather – appeared unexpectedly on his bed. Grabbing it, he tore it open eagerly, knowing immediately who it was from. He quickly read through the contents, a look of confusion crossing his face as he scanned the page carefully.

_Dear Harry,_

_I apologize for the surprise I may have inflicted upon you with this letter, but I had to be sure that this letter would not be intercepted. Fawkes has happy to oblige my request for one of his feathers._

_You shall be picked up at tonight at ten P.M. by two members of the Order. They will most unusually be appearing by Muggle transportation. In order to be certain of their identity, I request that you ask of them one single question: From whom did you originally acquire your unique Cloak and who did it originally belong to? _

_I again apologize for the suddenness of this letter, but in order not to be detected by spies, this was my only sure way of contacting you. I also realize the confusion this letter may cause, but all shall be explained in good time._

_Yours sincerely, _

_Albus Dumbledore._

Putting the letter down slowly, he placed it on the bed as he pushed himself up, heading towards the door. Walking slowly down the staircase, he stared coldly at his uncle.

"I'm being picked up at ten tonight," Harry said, his voice bland as he stared at his uncle. Noticing his uncle's eyes narrowing and his face turning slightly purple, he continued savagely, "They're coming by Mug- by car. So you won't have to worry about being embarrassed by them."

Though Uncle Vernon's face stayed the same shade of purple, he grunted before turning away from Harry and heading towards the kitchen, presumably to grab something else to eat. Sighing in relief at the lack of response, he trudged back to his room, in order to pack up all of his things.

_I can't wait to get out of here_, he thought bitterly as he re-entered his room, glancing around at the mess. _I don't care if I have to stay here. I hate this place. I hate them._

His face twisted slightly in anger, he grabbed his fallen parchments, slipping them carefully inside of his books before dumping them all in the trunk. Wishing longingly to be able to use magic – which underage students could now use in times of dire need – he shook his head and continued packing his trunk.

Remembering that he would probably be able to see Ron and Hermione soon, his mood brightened slightly. As he searched every corner of the room for the last of his belongings, he glanced at the clock, blinking in surprise as it showed it was quarter to ten. _That went by quickly. At least I'm almost out of this place._

Almost as if someone was reading his mind, the ringing of the doorbell echoed through the quiet house. Harry glanced out his window, watching as a taxi slowly pulled out of the driveway and as a redheaded woman walked towards the door to meet up with her companion.

He frowned slightly at them, puzzled by their appearance. _I don't recall meeting them at all. I hope this isn't a trick of sorts._

Hurrying towards the front door, his arms weighed down by attempting to carry everything in one trip, he made it to the stairs just in time to see his uncle walking towards the door, anger written across his face. He yanked the door open and found himself staring down at an unfamiliar blonde woman, the top of her head barely reaching to his neck.

"Do you have any idea what time it is, girl?" Vernon demanded, his face turning purple as he eyed the two women that were standing calmly on his doorstep. "I don't have a place for _your _type of people. I will no longer allow any of you to step foot in my house."

His face bright purple, Uncle Vernon slammed the door with all of his might, waiting for the satisfying sound of it slamming. The delight that had appeared on his face at that wish turned into sudden shock as the door stopped suddenly in place, as if a very strong somebody had put up an arm to stop it from moving. Still in shock, he watched as the petite blonde casually pushed the door back open, as if it had not been a great feat to stop a slamming door.

"That was kinda rude, wasn't it Will?" the blonde asked conversationally, turning to her redheaded friend. Willow nodded in agreement as she walked uninvited into the house. Buffy followed, and Harry noticed the large suitcase that she carried for the first time. Walking quickly down the rest of the stairs, his eyes never left the unfamiliar women.

"Besides," Buffy continued, still smiling at Uncle Vernon. "I'm not a witch, if that's what you're referring to. Willow here takes all the credit for that. I'm just your typical American girl. You know, except for the fact I tend to hang out in graveyards a lot."

Vernon sputtered as he overcame his shock, his face still a bright purple in color. Dudley and Petunia hesitantly entered the room, watching the two newcomers with fear on both of their faces. As Buffy mentioned the word 'witch', Dudley whimpered and his hand immediately went to cover his massive backside. Finally, after moments of stuttering, Vernon yelled,

"We do not mention that word in this house!" he exploded, stepping intimidatingly towards them. Willow and Buffy merely exchanged glances as he started going off in a tirade. "I did not invite…people like you into my house. You and your filth do not belong anywhere near this place. Get out of my house now or…"

"Or what?" Buffy asked coolly, arching an eyebrow as she crossed her arms across her chest. "You'll yell at us some more? Cause the only thing that's gonna do is cause some wicked damage to my eardrums."

Ignoring Vernon's rantings, Buffy and Willow turned their attention to the wary Harry who was slowly walking towards the door, his wand tucked carefully into his hand. Willow grinned and waved at him. "Hi Harry! We heard so much about you already! Oh! Question! You're supposed to ask us a question."

He stared at them mistrustfully for a second, slightly overwhelmed by the sudden appearance of the two unfamiliar Americans, as well as their blasé attitude towards his Uncle. Carefully putting down everything in his arms, he crossed his arms across his chest and looked at them challengingly. Repeating what Dumbledore had written him, he asked, "Where did I get my cloak? And who did it originally come from?"

Grinning at him, Buffy replied, "You got it from that Dunder guy. And it used to belong to your dad."

"What Buffy means," Willow cut in, rolling her eyes slightly at her friend's habit of mispronouncing names. "Is that Professor Dumbledore gave it to you."

"Yeah, him," Buffy nodded, still smiling at Harry.

For a moment, he continued staring at them mistrustfully, coupled this time with a slight look of disbelief. _Maybe Dumbledore thought that neither of them would attract attention from any Death Eaters. I'm tempted to agree, if that's the case. How did he meet them, anyway?_

At Harry's silence, Willow glanced at her watch carefully, her eyes widening slightly. "We should probably start getting ready. We have to get out of here soon."

Before Harry could even react, Buffy nodded decisively and put the suitcase on the ground. She took her time opening it, barely glancing up at Harry as she said, "Bring everything over here, so we make sure we having everything in our hands when we grab the Portkey. Since I definitely don't want to have to make a trip back to visit Oscar the Grouch over there."

Willow giggled at Buffy, adding, "Yeah, give him a giant trash can, dye his skin green, and we've got ourselves a grouchy Oscar the Grouch. Might be kinda fun, actually. I wonder if I could do that."

"Willow," Buffy said warningly, arching an eyebrow at her. "We promised Giles we would behave. And getting in trouble before we even start teaching would make him do that thing he does. The clucking thing. And then he would start cleaning his glasses and then we would just be in a whole big mess."

Both girls giggled at the mental image, leaving Harry even more mystified as to what in the world was going on around him. As she continued giggling, Buffy stepped over and grabbed his trunk, easily lifting it off the ground and placing it next to Willow. Harry's eyes opened wide as he remembered how much he had struggled to get the heavy trunk down the stairs. _How did she lift that so easily? I know I'm not the strongest person around but she acted like it was as light as a feather_.

Before he had a chance to question her, a scream from outside the house caused all of them to jump. Turning his gaze to Buffy and Willow, he noticed the change come over immediately. Gone were the giggling Americans from moments earlier. In their place was…Harry didn't even know how to describe it. Buffy was already moving into action, her eyes narrowed at the door as she glanced over at Willow. "Harry, stay here. Whatever you do, do not use magic."

With those words, Buffy was out the door with Willow hot on her heels. Harry stood in place for a moment, knowing he should listen to what she said yet at the same yet, his curiosity building as he wondered what exactly two Americans, one of whom claimed she wasn't even a witch, would be able to do if Death Eaters or any other follower of Voldemort were out there. With a moment's hesitation past, he crept towards the door, his eyes widening once again in shock as he watched the scene before him.

Four Death Eaters, in full outfits, were slowly circling around Buffy and Willow, as Miss Figg laid on the ground between them, cradling her knee as she moaned in pain. As a Death Eater raised his wand, Buffy lashed out suddenly, punching him directly in the mask before he even had time to say a word. Another Death Eater managed to get a curse off, screaming "Crucio!" as he pointed the wand at Buffy.

The curse hit Buffy full on. Expecting her to fall in pain, Harry could only watch in disbelief as she staggered slightly but continued moving towards another Death Eater. Before she could reach him, though, Willow gestured with her hand and all four Death Eaters froze in their place.

"Nice one, Willow," Buffy said nonchalantly, rolling her neck as. "He was a jerk. That curse kinda hurt."

"That's what I'm here for," Willow replied just as casually. "No matter where you go, I'm always the faithful Scooby."

Before either of them could say another word, a group of wizards suddenly apparated around them. The sudden appearance of the robed wizards barely fazed the two women as Buffy knelt down and gently asked Miss Figg, "Did they do anything else to you? What happened?"

"They…were watching the house," Miss Figg said tearfully, still clutching her injured knee tightly. "I tried to get back…to my house to get a message to Dumbledore but they spotted me. And I was so afraid that I tripped and twisted my knee. Then, one of them raised their wand and…"

She trailed off, shivering slightly. Willow bent down and gave her a gentle hug, her eyes never leaving Buffy's. Yet before either of them could say another word, one of the wizards cleared his throat importantly in an attempt to catch their attention. Buffy rolled her eyes as she slowly stood up, crossing her arms across her chest and glaring at the wizards. "Do you want something? Because we had everything perfectly under control…"

"Under control?" one of the wizards asked incredulously, nervously twirling his bowler's hat. "You call this under control? You performed magic in full view of Muggles' houses, and who knows how many Muggles ended up seeing it! You should have…"

"What?" Buffy interrupted. "Waited until you cut the dilly-dallying and made your way over here? Let ourselves be taken down by the Death Eater guys? Which, I might add, is the lamest name ever. Besides, I didn't perform any magic. Magic and Buffy aren't very mixy."

The wizards just stared at her for a moment, seemingly overwhelmed by her casual way of talk and her scolding of them. Buffy and Willow exchanged a glance, Buffy rolling her eyes at what she perceived as the incompetence of the other wizards. The minutes dragged on as everyone stood in silence, save for Miss Figg who was still moaning in pain.

Just as suddenly as the others had appeared, two more wizards apparated just as suddenly. Though both Buffy and Willow recognized the tall, dark man, neither acknowledged him, as he did not acknowledge them. Yet, it was not him that commanded their attention. It was the other wizard who, even with a slight limp, walked with an air of importance. By the scarring of his face and hands, it was obvious that this was a man who had been part of many battles in his life and knew how to deal with the aftermath.

"Miss Summers, Miss Rosenburg," he acknowledged them, his voice low. Buffy merely arched an eyebrow as she continued staring at him. "Though the events that have brought both of you to my attention tonight are a bit complicated, I am honored to greet and welcome both of you to the wizarding world."

"Uh huh," Buffy said skeptically, her arms still crossed across her chest. "Thanks for that. But if you don't mind, we have a job that we have to finish up tonight. So, thanks for stopping by!"

Watching the events unfold, Harry could still only stare in shock as Buffy greeted the new Minister, Rufus Scrimgeour, with such contempt. He wasn't the only one in shock; every other wizard had the same expression on all of their faces. As Cornelius Fudge opened his mouth to speak, his bowling hat being twirled faster, the sound of doors being slammed cause everyone to turn.

Muggles were slowly coming out of their houses, opening whispering about the wizard's appearance, and looking at the Dursley house carefully. Buffy and Willow forgotten, Scrimgeour leapt into action and immediately began giving the others orders on how to deal with the Muggles and with poor Miss Figg. Giving her one last hug, Buffy and Willow slowly sneaked back to the Dursleys and crept inside, closing the door lightly.

"They remind me way too much of the Watchers Council," Buffy complained as they stood in the foyer. "Too pompous for their own good. And I thought I was done dealing with that."

"It's your burden to bear," Willow joked as she opened the suitcase. "Putting up with authority figures that you have a tendency not to listen to."

"I do too listen," Buffy pouted, gesturing for Harry to come closer to the suitcase. "Just not all the time."

Giving her an un-Willow like smirk, she said, "Uh huh. So all of those incidents with the police in Sunnydale? Just them being meanies?"

Nodding innocently, Buffy shrugged. "Yep. They just always seemed to be targeting me."

Shaking her head skeptically, Willow didn't answer Buffy and instead turned to Harry. "Are you ready to go, Harry? Dumbledore will be waiting."

Harry nodded quietly, walking closer to the suitcase as he held onto Hedwig's cage with one hang and reached for the silver teapot now laying exposed in the open suitcase. All three stared at each other for a moment before grabbing onto the teapot. For a moment, nothing happened when all of a sudden, Harry felt the familiar pulling sensation that always accompanied the use of Portkeys. He closed his eyes as the world spun around him, taking a deep breathe as he wished for the dizziness to disappear.

As suddenly as it had started, Harry found himself slowly down and falling unceremoniously onto the ground. Shaking his head to clear the last remnants of dizziness, he noticed that Buffy and Willow were already moving towards away from him and towards the familiar site of the Burrow. Even with the dizziness that still ran through his head slightly, he couldn't help but grin at the familiar place. He quickly got to his feet and followed them unsteadily to the back door.

Even before he reached the door, Mrs. Weasley appeared as the door opened, ushering them all quickly across the threshold. "Hurry up, Harry. It's not safe to be out alone this late at night."

He trotted through the open door, still watching Buffy carefully as she easily carried both his trunk and Hedwig's cage into the cozy house. Again, he prepared to ask her what was going on with her when he stopped suddenly as he noticed Professor Dumbledore sitting at the kitchen table, his eyes sparkling as he stared at Harry.

"Hello, Harry," Dumbledore said easily, gesturing for Harry to join him at the table. "I do realize that this has been an eventful evening for you, but could you spare a few minutes for your Headmaster?"

Harry eyed Buffy one last time as she and Willow disappeared into the other room, chattering animatedly. Molly Weasley walked over and hugged Harry tightly, giving him a smile before follow the other women out of the room. He watched them for a moment before sitting down slowly at the table, eyeing Dumbledore carefully. Though Harry had known that Dumbledore was much older than he acted, this was the first time that Harry actually realized how old Dumbledore was. The wrinkles on his face were even more pronounced than Harry had ever seen before; his eyes seemed a little wearier; even his shoulder seemed slightly bowed by the weight of information he carried.

"Though I am positive you have many questions about the ladies that brought you here," Dumbledore started, smiling down at Harry, "Now is not the time for that to be discussed. All will be revealed in good time. There are a few things I need to discuss with you before I take my leave tonight, first and foremost being Sirius' will."

At the mention of his godfather's name, Harry looked away from Dumbledore as the familiar ache of missing his godfather came back full force. Forcing himself to look up at Dumbledore, he asked, "What does it say?"

"He has left everything, including his house, to you," Dumbledore said gently, looking down at Harry in concern. "Sirius realized that his life would always be in jeopardy; therefore, if he something did happen to him, he would still be able to find someway to take care of you."

"It's not fair!" Harry said suddenly, clenching his fists as the hurt over losing his godfather turned into anger. "I had just gotten him back into my life. Why…?"

He trailed off unfinished, looking down at the table. Dumbledore sighed sympathetically as he said, "The little time that you and Sirius had with each other was not fair. But you were at least able to have some time with him, and were able to find out that he was not the man that betrayed your parents. Though that might not be much comfort to you at the moment, someday you will appreciate it."

Saying nothing, Harry looked back up at Dumbledore, not sure how to answer him. Instead, he asked, "Sir? The Daily Prophet today mentioned Malfoy escaping from Azkaban."

Dumbledore leaned back in his chair as she sighed mightily, as Harry once again noticed how old the Headmaster looked. "Yes, Harry. It would seem as if Voldemort has managed to convince a different type of wizard to join his side of the war. Fortunately, for us, the Order has managed to pick up a few recruits as well."

"You mean…Buffy and Willow? The two that picked me up?"

"Ah, yes," Dumbledore smiled. "Buffy Summers and Willow Rosenburg are two of the newest additions not only to the Order, but also do our school. Tonight, Harry, you have unofficially met two new Hogwarts Professors. I trust that you found them…interesting."

"But," Harry asked in confusion, "Buffy said that she wasn't even a witch. And Willow didn't even have a wand. How..?"

"All will be explained in good time," Dumbledore said, his eyes still twinkling. "Tonight, unfortunately, is not that time. There are still a few pressing issues we need to discuss before I take my leave. One of them being the issue of Occulmency."

"Occulmency, sir?" Harry asked doubtfully. "Even after what happened last year…?"

Sighing, Dumbledore held up a hand and explained, "I made the mistake last year of believing that Professor Snape could overcome his grudge against your father and help you. I, unfortunately, was wrong as Professor Snape was not able to do so. But it is still extremely important that you learn this skill. No matter the strength of one's magic, the mind is always the strongest asset any wizard can have. Therefore, this year you will be taking Occulmency lessons with me, as you should have done last year."

Harry blinked in surprise. "With…you, sir?"

"Yes, Harry," Dumbledore smiled. Before Harry could ask anymore questions, Dumbledore put a hand up to stop him. "I'm afraid that I will have to break up this meeting, Harry. There is a great deal to be done before the term begins. All of your questions will be answered in time, but I am asking to postpone until after the term starts."

Standing up, Dumbledore walked towards the other room where Harry could hear Willow, Buffy, and Mrs. Weasley talking animatedly. Their conversation halted as they noticed Dumbledore standing in the doorframe. Harry also stood up as he heard the scuffling of furniture moving and people shuffling around. Moments later, the women appeared in the room. Willow waved happily at Harry as she followed Dumbledore out of the back door.

"Bye Harry! See you at Hogwarts!"

Buffy nodded at him once before following her other companions, slamming the door shut behind her. As Harry stared at the closed door for a moment, Mrs. Weasley put a hand over Harry's shoulder and said, "Come on, Harry. You should get some sleep. I've set up Fred and George's room for you to sleep in while you stay with us."

As he looked up at her questioningly, she smiled as she explained quietly, "Fred and George are living above their store in Diagon Alley. It makes it easier for them to run the business. Now, up you go."

Her tone of voice left no room for argument and Harry meekly made his way up the creaky steps, stopping in the doorway of Fred and George's old room, smiling as he saw that his trunk had been unpacked and Hedwig's cage had been propped up into the corner. Falling down on the bed, he pulled his glasses off and carelessly tossed them onto the dresser before falling deeply into sleep.


End file.
